To be sad at going grey already

And @grey12 it IS the greying that is a bit ageing on you.

Sorry @grey12 but I would have said you were older than 36. Mid 40s I would have said.

And I re-iterate, very VERY few women under 50 IN REAL LIFE have grey hair!

@AHungryCaterpillar

Yes I find it interesting how many women on this thread apparently embrace their grey and never dye it but I’m yet to see any woman under about 50 with grey hair? Certainly no one I know friends/ family anyone I see around...

Remember this is the parallel world of mumsnet. Like you, I NEVER see women under 50 with grey hair, yet on here you could be lead to believe that half the women under 50 with their hair going grey, never dye it. Of COURSE they do, and that is why you never see women under 50 with grey hair.

There's a reason for that. It IS ageing, (yes it really is!) and it looks worse on women under 50 than on men. Sad but true. A man can get away with a shock of salt and pepper hair at 35. A woman cannot.

I know it doesn't suit people on here to hear that, but that's how it is, and it is not 'bollocks.'

As the OP said, in real life women NEVER have grey hair in their 20s or 30s, and very few have in their 40s. It's both hilarious and ludicrous that it's being denied on here.

Have you googled gombre yet? Lots of stunning young women embracing their grey hair. They're on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.

I'd get highlights and gradually go blonder. The dye doesn't sit in your scalp so might be better for you

I mean I'm not mad about it but my hair is in reasonable condition and I don't have that angst about worrying about the grey roots constantly

Except it doesn’t. I embraced the grey at 43, it changed nothing, I still looked 43.

I was joking but that aside, not everyone looks older because of grey hair but some people do. I don't even think it's just that - just the very fact you have grey hair per se can give the impression you're older, just on account of the hair, especially to people who are on the younger side themselves.

I think lockdown helped a lot as we didn't see people for a while

(I don't wear makeup and was trying a Elsa braid to show my kids 😅)

Obviously don't look as fabulous as PP.... but I think I still look like I'm 36 🤷🏻‍♀️ or maybe I'm totally deluded? Let me know

GreyHairdontcare1982

You really, really suit it. Gorgeous hair

I’m 22 and very significant chunks of my hair are grey. I started going grey at about 16.

I didn’t realise it was that weird tbh because I’m just taking after my parents.

I started going grey around your age, maybe earlier. I'm 37 now and the grey is really coming through and I also have quite a cool grey stripe. My hair is naturally very dark, thick and coarse. I made the decision not to dye it and just embrace it. It makes me annoyed that men can basically do what they want but women feel pressured to use all sorts of horrible chemicals on their hair to make themselves look younger. If you dye it yourself it looks a bit rubbish and if you go to a salon it costs a fortune. I just didn't want to get stuck in the endless cycle of dying it, and no ones fooled. Plus, at some point, usually in your 50s, you do end up looking like you're wearing a wig, but you won't notice. Ad then you'll have to do what my mum has just done, which is grow out the dye and let it go grey, and that really does look awful. Far better to save yourself the money and time and hassle and have confidence in the real you. If more of us embraced our grey it would be much more normalized and women could actually start looking their age, like men - nothing wrong with that.

Yes I find it interesting how many women on this thread apparently embrace their grey and never dye it but I’m yet to see any woman under about 50 with grey hair? Certainly no one I know friends/ family anyone I see around...

It’s one subject I have never brought up with friends but one or two I would guess are going down the “embracing it” route - only because they have long strands of grey and I’m assuming. All in their 30s. But yes, most don’t I guess.

It’s just honestly, I don’t love having the odd grey at all but I would far rather be all grey than have a grey stripe down my parting .. I hate it.
My mother dyes her hair every 2-3 weeks and STILL has the stripe the few days before she gets it done. It is noticeable and she’s look better all grey. She’s confided in me a few times that she wishes she’d never started dying it (30-40 years a go!) and doesn’t really know what to do.. how does she let it grow out without it looking awful? So yep, that’s me dying it semi permanently every now and then only.

I got my first ones about 25 and I’m 33 like you. It’s gone from being the odd one to being quite a lot. I’m thinking about going back blonde to mean they don’t stand out as much, as I’m currently brunette.

I agree with you, it’s normal to have a few greys at our age but not usual to be very grey. I’m not embracing it. There was a thread in style and beauty about this topic (not embracing the grey) that was helpful!

Not saying it's an easy road to go down, lots of expectations from older people......

But just so you know, grey hair doesn't make you look older 🤷🏻‍♀️ honestly! Your hair colour doesn't affect how old people perceive you to be. HOWEVER! it needs to be taken care of. And, very important, the colours you wear may no longer suit your new hair colour and you may need to tweak your wardrobe.

Dated haircuts and hairstyles are the ones that are show age a lot!!! Think "I need to see the manager" hairstyle, or rolls like the queen and my grandmothers

I’m 35 and lots of grey hairs. I’ve just started dying it.

Could you try a hairdressers who have a wide variety of dyes and can do a thorough allergy test first?

GreyHairdontcare1982 🎉🙌 your hair is absolutely stunning! I am the same age but it hasn't went completely grey yet. I don't feel I need to dye it because of my age. I feel confident enough with it to let nature take its course.

There are some henna based hair tints that come in a box. I used to buy them from Holland and Barret

And I agree with other posters, early 30s is not early to have greys 🤷🏻‍♀️

I guess the more people that do it the more it normalises it. It might be unusual for people to embrace it but it’s certainly not unusual for women in their 30’s to have a lot of grey hair. If more people ditched the dye then grey hair wouldn’t seem to be so ageing.

I started going grey at 11 and was almost completely grey by thirties. I suggest getting a grip. I’d rather have grey hair than something that actually requires worrying about like cancer for example. Colour it or rock it. Most people in their thirties have some greys.

I started going grey at 17. I fully embraced grey hair in my early 50's and really wish I had never dyed it at all. All that time and expense when I could have just let nature take it's course.